Why Isn't an Online Postgraduate Program Worth It?

Something common that has been happening at Nepuga this past year is that we are receiving enrollments from many health professionals who completed an online (EAD) Postgraduate Program in Aesthetics, but when they went to their Council to get qualified, they were denied due to the lack of hands-on classes.

Besides delaying your academic and professional progress, the online Postgraduate Program brings a series of disadvantages for all health professionals, whether biomedical professionals, pharmacists, biologists or nurses. 

That is because distance specialization does not provide the clinical immersion and the necessary practice, the famous “hands-on” work, for aesthetic professionals to perform aesthetic procedures safely, as well as to manage an aesthetics clinic, since they have never witnessed the routine of one.

Real situations: online Postgraduate Program in Aesthetics is rejected by COFEN

In the case of nurses, COFEN Resolution No. 529/2016, already amended by COFEN Resolution No. 626/2020, states in Art. 4 that “nurses must have a lato sensu postgraduate degree in aesthetics, in accordance with the legislation established by MEC (Brazil's Ministry of Education), with at least 100 hours of hands-on classes.”

In other words, it is essential that the Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Nursing offer hands-on classes. However, we notice there is a gap in the communication and dissemination of this fundamental information that, in the end, ensures you get your qualification from your Council.

And this gap also makes professionals invest time and money twice in the same specialization, but at different Institutions, since the online Postgraduate Program is not enough. 

That is why we brought you this article, so that not only nurses but all health professionals understand the importance of choosing a specialization with hands-on classes. 

‘I didn't know I needed 100 hands-on hours’

Dr. Weng Chen Ming, a nurse and Aesthetic Nursing postgraduate student at Nepuga, went through exactly this situation. Since she had never actually worked in nursing, she saw in Aesthetic Health an opportunity to be self-employed as she observed that the market was growing substantially.

At the time, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, she found through Google this online Postgraduate Program in multiprofessional Aesthetic Health, that is, one that would apply to several professions. Lasting nine months, the program included hands-on classes demonstrated on video, which she could do in the safety of her home. 

Her intention was to take short courses with hands-on classes as soon as she finished the online Postgraduate Program, to reinforce the teaching, but that is not accepted by the Federal Nursing Council (COFEN) either; not even internships are accepted as hands-on classes.

Hands-on classes must be taken exclusively within the Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Nursing. 

“I didn't know I needed 100 hours of practice. When I was at the end of the course, only the nursing students from the previous class were having trouble validating the program, but I insisted on staying, because there was little left and I believed I could finish and look for an internship outside with an aesthetics professional”, says Dr. Weng. 

She even did the internship after finishing the specialization, but it was not validated. So she went back to searching Google for a new postgraduate program and arrived at Nepuga.

“I chose to do it here because it has the hybrid system and the hands-on sessions can be scheduled on weekends, making it easier for those who work”, she explains. 

Cheap actually ends up costing more

Like Dr. Weng, Dr. Natalie Delfino also sought out the online Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Nursing when we were at the height of the pandemic. But besides wanting to study at home, she was looking for a specialization that was affordable and fit her budget.

What she didn't imagine was that she would end up investing twice in the same specialization. The postgraduate student also did not know that the 100 hours of hands-on classes were mandatory within the postgraduate program. “I was very disappointed”, she reveals.

The aesthetic nurse says she always followed Dr. Ana Carolina Puga on Instagram and so decided to start from scratch by doing Nepuga's Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Nursing. 

“I came to Nepuga for the security. I asked many times, sent many messages and all the advisors were super ready to help me and explained things well. It was easier for me to understand, so I feel more confident, but it is very sad to have to do everything all over again, even so.”

Dr. Natalie has been an aesthetician since 2005, then graduated in nursing, but has always worked in Aesthetics. She says that of everything she is learning in the specialization at Nepuga, half of it she had not seen in another postgraduate program.

“Really, we have that eagerness to study, to succeed, with so many expectations, and we end up looking for what fits in our pocket, because it's cheaper. But if I had researched a little more carefully, I would have seen that I could also have afforded Nepuga, because there are facilities, installment payment options. If I had researched thoroughly, I would say absolutely, it's totally worth paying more and having certainty and confidence in the institution”, explains the doctor. 

Aesthetic Nursing: why not take an online Postgraduate Program?

We know that the amount invested in a specialization, whether in-person, hybrid or online, is significant. Choosing a more affordable price that fits the budget at the moment is generally one of the factors that convince students to opt for the online Postgraduate Program. 

However, that is where the headache begins, because cheap can actually end up costing more.

Imagine you choose to specialize in Aesthetic Nursing through an online Postgraduate Program, because of the low price and the comfort of studying at home. Over the next 9 or 12 months you dedicate yourself and study the entire curriculum, just as nurses Dr. Weng and Dr. Natalie did.

But when you finish the specialization and present your certificate to the Regional Nursing Council (COREN) it is not accepted, since it does not include the mandatory 100 hands-on hours of a Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Nursing. 

This is a frustrating situation and one that is a reality for many nurses who opt for an online Postgraduate Program. That is why it is essential to seek information from your professional Council about the requirements needed to earn your qualification and specialist title. In addition, of course, to talking with the Institution's enrollment office to check whether the course it offers meets all the requirements needed for your training.

Qualification vs. Training

The first contact with the Institution you choose for your Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Health is the ideal moment to clear up all your questions about what you expect from your specialization. But it is essential that you also consult your Council about the requirements needed to validate your postgraduate program and secure your qualification.

Because it is important to emphasize that any specialization/postgraduate program has the function of training the health professional in a given area, that is, providing the necessary knowledge. But only each category's Council can qualify the professional to legally work in the job market.

Internship vs. Hands-on Class: there is a difference!

On the subject of hands-on classes, something very common is for students to confuse them with internships. Very different from undergraduate degrees, Nepuga does not impose a mandatory internship in its Postgraduate Programs. 

What appears in our curriculum is only the hands-on classes, that is, the clinical immersions in which students get “hands-on” after learning everything in theory. 

These hands-on classes do not count as an internship, and, consequently, internships do not count as hands-on classes. Always remember: they are different concepts and validations for your résumé.

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